Merchant power was underpinned by state support. European rulers knew that helping their national merchant group take over control of market segments, especially internationally, would bring revenues to the state and enrich the population, for instance craftsmen manufacturing goods for exports. The resulting mercantilist policies included well-known systems of privileges encouraging imperial preference and corporate long-distance ventures such as the East India Companies, but also policies aiming at mitigating deflationary tendencies harmful to credit, or encouraging manufactures for export through guild regulations such as quality controls. In a context of early modern markets monopolized by merchant rings, the resulting Mercantilist theories and policies were much more practical and rational than claimed by later classical economists, with complex debates over what means to choose to encourage national merchant groups, and to whose benefit these policies would mainly redound. Legal regimes were also mobilized, with both Common law and Continental (Roman) law providing extra protection to merchant groups in bankruptcy proceedings, partnership protection and legal evidence.